“Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.” (Matthew 2:3 NLT)
Yesterday we mentioned how Herod had a paranoia problem. I strongly suspect his cage was rattled often. When strangers from the east came with a bizarre story about a star rising over a potential rival, Herod was undone. No infant king would usurp his throne.
We notice that when Herod was upset, all of Jerusalem was upset with him. This speaks of his emotional immaturity. It’s safe to assume that King Herod was out of touch with his feelings. I’m guessing he had two notable moods: okay and angry. Angry can encompass jealous, paranoid, annoyed, insulted, slighted, scared, grieving, triggered, fearful, nervous and any other more subtle emotion. Herod didn’t sort them out and label them. He certainly didn’t work through them with a mental health expert. He just felt them all as ‘mad’ and his subjects suffered accordingly. Herod’s fear of replacement and his inability to process his feelings only drove him further from the people he was attempting to connect with.
So often we see characters in scripture and find opportunity to search our own souls. Herod’s emotional immaturity played a strong hand in the Christmas narrative: the holy family wound up fleeing from his wrath but many other Bethlehem families were permenantly maimed by his cruelty. So often anger is the blunt force felt from more complicated, unattended emotion.
Keep this in mind this Christmas. Be willing to sort through your feelings and properly label them. Even better, take them to the cross and let Jesus sort it out. Don’t lash out in the broad blows of anger. Slow down and consider the more complicated nuances that contribute to your frame of mind. Remember your desire to connect with others this Christmas. Choose to protect them even when your feelings are big and burdensome.
“An angry person starts fights: a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin.” (Proverbs 29:22 NLT)
Lord, please help us slow down and sort out our feelings, disarming them before they blow up and inflict pain on those we love. We don’t want to rule as Herod did: holding people hostage with our pain and paranoia. Please tend to our trauma and heal our wounds. Put us in touch with our feelings that we might deal with them reasonably and for Kingdom benefit. Amen.